On July 24th, the Technology Association of Oregon (TAO) hosted state representative Julie Fahey (D-14) for a session in its Resiliency Series, engaging stakeholders and elected officials about the resiliency of Oregon’s businesses, government, and community. Cara Snow, TAO’s Chief Community Engagement Manager, focused the 30-minute virtual Q&A with Rep. Fahey around the representative’s role and impact as a co-founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Oregon Future Caucus.
Rep. Fahey shared how she became involved in local politics and co-founded the Oregon Future Caucus. With 20 years of experience in the private sector as a business consultant and co-founder of a human resources consulting firm for businesses and nonprofits, Rep. Fahey had long thought about running for office in the abstract. After going through a six-month training program at the invitation of her friend, Rep. Fahey became involved in her community and local politics. Having served in the Oregon Legislative Assembly for four years, Rep. Fahey stated that she is proud of building and maintaining her reputation for being someone who brings a data-oriented scientific approach to problem solving.
When she heard a speaker from the Millennial Action Project (MAP) speak at a conference in 2017, she resonated with MAP’s values of pragmatism and future focus. In 2018, Rep. Fahey co-founded the Oregon Future Caucus along with Senator Dallas Heard (R-1), Representative Diego Hernandez (D-47), and Representative David Brock Smith (R-1). Rep. Fahey also shared that the Caucus was important to her because it amplifies input from younger generations that would otherwise be lacking, and because it enables the relationship-building that is essential to passing legislation. Fahey expressed hope that, if young officials begin working together on policies that matter to the younger generations now, we will have national leaders 20 years from now who are used to working together and who can break partisan gridlock.
In the second half of the event, Rep. Fahey shared her thoughts on the Oregon tech workforce. When asked what the Oregon legislature could do to retain Oregon’s tech workforce, she shared that a multifaceted approach was in order: investing in the promotion of STEM education and CTE programs in middle and high schools, collaborating with community organizations in the state that foster a sense of community for Oregon’s tech workforce, and investing in statewide broadband infrastructure. Rep. Fahey also shared examples of how antiquated technology in state government makes commonsense policies prohibitively expensive and recently contributed to a calculating error that prevented Oregon’s unemployed from receiving unemployment benefits.
Rep. Fahey closed the Q&A with advice for Oregonians interested in engaging in public service, and she kept it simple: start local. She stated that while many people are interested in national policy and politics, her experience has been that it is on the local level where one person can make a difference. “Sit on a budget board or a planning committee,” she advised. Illustrating her message, Rep. Fahey shared that she reads all emails addressed to her, and that she has voted for or against bills, and even brought bills forward, based on a constituent’s advocacy. In August, Rep. Fahey will be joining her colleagues in a second special legislative session, as well as attending MAP’s 2020 Future Summit.